Last October when I walked into the Dome des Invalides in Paris, France, to see Napolean Bonaparte’s tomb, the last thing I was expecting was to see the name of a hybrid grape adorning the poignant imagery of a French Army general’s tomb. The general was Marechal Foch and the hybrid grape has the same name (both pronounced “maresh-shall fosh”).
- Who was Marechal Foch and why was be buried in the Dome des Invalides with Napolean Bonaparte?
- He was one of Napolean’s favorite generals
- He was Supreme Allied Commander in WWI
- He was Napolean’s wife’s brother
- He started the French Air corps in WWI
ANS: B – In March 1918, he was named Commander-in-Chief of the WWI Allied Armies. And of note he played a significant role in the First and Second Battle of the Marne in the Champagne region.
- What year was known as the “blood year” in France’s Champagne region?
- 1914
- 1915
- 1916
- 1917
ANS: A – Also known as the “violent vintage.” Despite the fact that in 1914 harvesting occurred under shellfire and that the soil was stained from the many casualties, the 1914 vintage is thought to be one of the best and most age-worthy vintages of the 20th century. The Valley of the Marne was a major battlefield twice during WWI and an estimated 40% of Champagne’s vineyards were destroyed because of the intense fighting in the region.
But a hybrid grape and a distinguished WWI French general with the same name? How did that happen? A French viticulturist, Eugene Kuhlmann, in the early 20th century at the Oberlin Institute in Alsace, France made an inter-specific cross of Goldriesling with a Vitis riparia-Vitis rupestris cross. Although originally called Kuhlmann 188-2, the grape was brought to the USA and renamed Marechal Foch in 1942.
Wait, that is a lot of information: inter-specific cross, Goldriesling, Vitis riparia, Vitis rupestris. What does this all mean?
An inter-specific cross is a cross of grapes varieties from different species such as Vitis vinifera, the European wine grape with Vitis riparia which is an indigenous North American grape. This cross produces what is known as a hybrid grape variety. The other type of cross is an intra-specific cross that uses varieties of the same species, such as two Vitis vinifera varieties. Goldriesling is such an intra-specific cross of Riesling with an unidentified vinifera grape, created in 1893 at the Oberlin Institute. And yes, the grape and ensuing wine is still being produced today in Saxony, Germany and Austria in very small quantities.
- Vitis raparia (aka riverbank grape) and Vitis rupestrius (aka sand grape) are indigenous to North America and provide disease resistance and hardy rootstock when crossed with Vitis vinifera grapes. Which of the following grape species are also indigenous to North America and often used in making hybrid grapes?
- Vitis labrusca (aka fox grape)
- Vitis rotundifolia (aka muscadine)
- Vitis aestivalis (aka summer grape)
- Vitis mustangensis (aka mustang grape)
ANS: All of the above
- In addition to fungus disease resistance and hardy rootstock, why else have viticulturists around the world been using North American grapes to make hybrid varieties?
- Lower production costs and higher sustainability
- Better adaptability to variable weather conditions
- Increased grape health compounds – resveratrol
- Provide predictable annual yields
ANS: All of the above
- Marechal Foch, a red, cold-hardy grape that ripens early, is fungus disease resistant, has small berries and a teinturier (a red skin grape with red juice unlike most red grapes with colorless juice) is grown where in the North America?
- Oregon
- Ohio
- Ontario, Canada
- Montana
ANS: All of the above. I first tasted Marechal Foch at Wooden Shoe Vineyards in Woodburn, Oregon
Marechal Foch grapes can produce a deep color, highly tannic wine and therefore it is also made using carbonic maceration that will produce a lighter color, lower tannin, fruity wine. Carbonic maceration briefly is a vinification method that uses whole cluster fermentation in a sealed, stainless-steel tank with carbon dioxide. You most often hear of the carbonic maceration method being used in Beaujolais, France. However, carbonic maceration and semi-carbonic maceration is being used more often in more French wine regions such as, Burgundy, Southern Rhone and Languedoc-Rousillon, as well as, in the Eastern United States.
The use of hybrid grapes, with their many beneficial advantages for grape growers, is widespread in East Coast and Central states. These wine grapes have been bred for their disease resistance as well as their adaptability to a wide variety of temperatures, soils and rainfall. However, in California with its friendly vinifera grape growing conditions, hybrids are not often commercially grown. UC Davis viticulturists have developed numerous hybrids, many to combat Pierce’s disease or to address the higher temperatures of the state’s warmer areas. Examples of Pierce’s disease hybrids developed at UC Davis are: Paseante Noir, an intra-specific hybrid of 50% Zinfandel, 25% Petite Sirah and 12.5% Cabernet Sauvignon; and Caminante Blanc, an inter-specific hybrid of 97% v. vinifera (62.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12.5% Chardonnay and 12.5% Carignane), 1.5% v. arizonica and 1.5% v. rupestris.
Bonus: Where in California are these hybrid grapes and others being grown for wine making purposes?
- Ojai (Venture County)
- Sta. Rita Hills (Santa Barbara County)
- Central Valley
- Ranch Cucamonga (Riverside County)
ANS: All of the above
When you have a hybrid grape like Paseante Noir, that crosses three vitis vinifera grapes it’s like having a field blend in a single grape. How great is that? Nevertheless, the fascinating topic of California’s winemakers using hybrid grapes is a subject for another Wine Wisdom.
Marechal Foch’s tomb will be found in Paris. Marechal Foch wine you may find on California’s North Coast. But no matter what the history behind your wine is, as fascinating as it may be, it doesn’t need to be made with hybrid grapes or named after a WWI French General for you to sit back, open it, and enjoy it! Cheers!